LEGO phenom Joss Ivanwood has been building a dragon every month in 2024; Year of the Dragon in case you’re wondering why. It turns out, eleven months into the year, this jellyfish-inspired dragon marks the first instance of creative block. It’s quite understandable, trying to design a dragon based on a jellyfish; I imagine there were several iterations of this magnificent beast, several head-scratching moments and maybe sleepless nights. But the end result is probably my favorite of the entire line. I mean, look at those tendrils made from legions of clips and that arching transparent bell. It’s proof that something can be deadly and beautiful all at the same time. Joss tells us that while he’s aware that jellyfish don’t have brains, he couldn’t resist including the new brain creature piece from the Mindflayer D&D minifigure. That’s a smart use for that brain piece!
Posts by Lino
This Star Wars Ewok Village can topple an empire
Back in 2013 LEGO produced the 10236 Ewok Village and at the time it was the first large Star Wars set that wasn’t a spaceship. It was a popular set, likely the pinnacle of Star Wars playsets at the time. Now, eleven years later, Simulterious takes inspiration from that pivotal set but doesn’t stop there; he also borrows some design cues from The Kenner Playset from 1983. If many of our readers are like me, this should hit several nostalgic sweet spots simultaneously. Or should I say…simulteriously? Whether your favorite inspiration was the 2013 LEGO set, the 1983 Kenner playset or neither because you can’t wrap your head around the concept of cute cannibalistic care bears toppling an entire galactic empire, then you have to at least admire the the amazing build techniques on display here.
“You’ve always been the caretaker, Mr. Torrence”
A thing that Alex Eylar does really well with his LEGO creations is set a mood. Sometimes, often actually, that mood can be deeply unsettling. You don’t need to read the title to know this is an iconic scene from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Here we see an already deranged and inebriated Jack Torrence taking family advice from a ghostly Delbert Grady. The advice in question was chilling and unwholesome, even for 1980 standards; and let’s just say nothing went well for anybody. It turns out this wasn’t the only deeply unsettling bathroom scene in the movie. Alex, if you go on to build the nightmare fuel that was the green bathroom, I’m pretty sure I’ll be damaged goods forever.
Ringing in Autumn with some hot proboscis action
On the calendar and in accordance with dropping temperatures around here, Autumn is being shown the door by Old Man Winter. However, in Mattia Careddu‘s world, Autumn is just arriving as evidenced by their latest LEGO creation. Here we see a dynamic duo; first up is the red spider lily (Lycoris radiata), the Japanese flower that symbolizes the arrival of Autumn. Next on the docket is what appears to be a hummingbird but it’s Macroglossum stellatarum, a kind of moth called the hummingbird hawkmoth that behaves exactly like a hummingbird. I’ve found the hummingbirds around my feeders to be hyper-intense, territorial, and belligerent toward one another so, in this regard, some people also act like hummingbirds. This duo is doing birds and bees stuff. If you haven’t yet been made privy to “the talk” I advise you ask someone else. Or Google it.
The builder is no stranger to life-size flowers and unusual insects. We also like this Sri Lankan duo.
To boldly go... and sometimes not come back
In a Star Trek world of Enterprises and Klingon Birds of Prey, sometimes it’s the little ships that mean a lot. Take this LEGO Shuttlecraft built by Horace Worblehat for example. It’s expertly crafted and certainly takes me back to classic Star Trek episodes. This little craft has taken these two crewmembers to parts unknown. What will harangue them next? Will it be a ferocious Gorn or a hideous Salt Vampire? One thing for certain is one of these guys will escape by the skin of their teeth and the other will die a horrible yet amusing death. It’s the Redshirt, by the way. It’s always the Redshirt.
These Star Wars TIE Arrestors have questions
Boy, I sure love a fan-made Star Wars concept! These LEGO TIE Arrestors built by Alec Hole look like they can be canon but are inspired by the Cantwell class Arrestor Cruiser from the Andor series. The TIE Arrestor, according to Alec “is an Imperial starfighter with two powerful tractor beam emitter dishes. It can be deployed to intercept, disable and tow Rebel starfighters suspected of stealing Imperial technology. It can also be used to capture Rebel personnel wanted for questioning.” It sounds like such unpleasant business! What’s with the purple? Well, it seems our alum Mansur Soeleman has his tentacles all up in the influence of this color decision. Alec tells us the purple accents denote the evil counterpart to Mansur’s Teal Squadron.
Tell us what they’ve won, Sir Gene Wood!
Anyone of a certain age or otherwise taking a sick day from work knows the glitzy phenomenon that is the daytime Game Show. Family Feud was a good one. I’ve spent many-a-day yelling at the TV while watching some goober lose $400 for their team because he thinks M&M’s are a common thing found in a sandwich. Martin Studio has LEGO-fied the game but also gave it a Classic Castle-themed twist. Here we see legendary factions The Lion Knights feuding against The Black Falcons. Falcons are ahead by 20 points but all it takes is a missed guess by some foolhardy squire to turn the odds in the Lions’ favor. This delightful diorama can be found on display at the LEGO House in Billund, Denmark through 2025, just in case you happen to be visiting LEGO headquarters.
You’re in good hands with the Imperial Medic Team
Being dispensable, famously banging your head on a doorway, or generally missing your targets can be taxing on the health of your average Imperial Stormtrooper. Thankfully, when calamity strikes, this LEGO stormy presented by Auto’s Builds is in the very capable hands of two Imperial Medics and also the cold steel hands of Medical Droid 2-1B. They’ll have this fellow back in the field and missing his targets in no time. He’s in for the best healthcare Emperor Palpatine’s Imperial medic team can provide; and based on the annoyed looks on their faces, I’m guessing it’s not much.
Beginner’s Guide to Adventuring – Always bring your harpoon
I let LEGO phenom Bart De Dobbelaer title this passage. I merely copy/pasted it from his Flickr page because sometimes the builder’s own idea is by far better than whatever silliness I had in mind. Building bizarre alien worlds is not bizarre for Bart. It’s kinda his thing. But each time I’m enthralled with the level of imagination and storytelling. To further copy/paste from Bart (Is it good journalism or just laziness? You decide!) “Dear diary, today I went treasure hunting at the old temple ruin. Luckily I brought my harpoon with me as the place was swarming with crustaceans. I guess I’m having shrimp cocktail this evening. Pete.” But Bart-or-um-Pete, I have a question. Are they still called shrimp if they’re the size of a city bus?
Don’t tread on this fortified troll fort
LEGO builder Fedde Barendrecht finds an innovative way to show off his troll and orc collection as well as enough tank treads to furnish an entire platoon. You had to have been collecting the Castle line back in 2008 to acquire so many orc and troll figures. That’s back when Katy Perry kissed a girl and liked it. Also the economy crashed but the incidents were likely unrelated. The aforementioned tank treads adorn the walls of the fortress giving it a-uh-fortified fort feel. To quote Fedde: “Quickly assembled frontier forts trolls throw up on newly ‘acquired’ territories to ensure their holdings stay held”. Isn’t that how 4Chan was founded?
Dogpool slobbers her way into our hearts
IYKYK- That’s internet speak for if you know you know. Those of us in the know would know that, in the blockbuster film Deadpool and Wolverine, Dogpool was a complete scene stealer. Which is some feat considering all the muscle flexing, celebrity cameos, and gut-busting humor. Tim Inman replicates her unsettling slobberpuss nicely in LEGO and we’re all drooling with giddiness. While her ridiculous tongue and bugged-out eyes aren’t without their charm, my favorite part is the sparse fuzz on her head made with white LEGO plant stems. The doggo in real life is a Pug/ Chinese Crested mix named Peggy and she’s been voted Britain’s Ugliest Dog- which is a total bummer for whoever Britain’s second-ugliest dog happens to be.
Welcome, my son. Welcome to the machine.
Either Fedde Barendrecht has been listening to some mind-altering Prog Rock lately or he’s bummed about his daily work/home grind. Maybe a little of both? Whatever the case may be, his new LEGO creation is called Welcome to the Machine. It features a dreary, gray workplace, some cookie-cutter apartments, and a monorail to take you to and from both. That is all. Well, there’s also parkland but when you’re a small cog in a larger machine there isn’t time for dilly-dallying among the daffodils. What did you dream, Fedde? It’s alright, we told you what to dream. Now get back to work, ya bum!